Re: Siberia--pseudo reality show

OK, trying again...

Luckily I had set to tape this show so I could watch it again. That enabled me to freeze frame it so I could take notes on the people, and I found by the end I could recognize most of them---I should try that on Big Brother and Survivor! So a brief crib sheet based on looks, and occupation/country of origin, or state for the US, since those were hard to read. The stuff in spoiler tags is stuff people do on the show--memorable moments--which will be useful once you've seen the show. Everyone is European extraction unless otherwise noted.

So... the "host" my closed captioning tells me is named Jonathan. He's identified as the host everytime he appears, and he wears that safari shirt type outfit that Jeff Probst sports.

The men (who are more distinctive than the women--as usual on reality shows-- a nice touch!)

Daniel--wears glasses--computer programmer from Minnesota

Click to see Spoiler:

the guy who twists his ankle 3 minutes in and has to be helped to the huts

Johnny--very built competitive bull rider from SC--not a spoiler to say that he's the one who takes off at a dead run one minute into the show

Click to see Spoiler:

obnoxious, competitive loner, whom the others describe as "cocky"

Tommy --environmental activist from Boston, with some kind of dreads/bandana hairstyle [spoiler} who helps Daniel after D twists his ankle[/spoiler]

Sam--older bald guy--looks a bit like "Locke" from LOST--bouncer from NY

Click to see Spoiler:

gets bossy re the mushroom hunting

Neeko --rugby player from London--black

Click to see Spoiler:

can keep up with Johnny, but much nicer

Harpreet--South Asian--grad student in Washington, DC

Click to see Spoiler:

self described as competitive, but "easily led"

George--older guy with hair--accountant from Kansas

Click to see Spoiler:

doesn't do a lot in the first show

Miljan --young with short dark hair, club DJ from Montenegro

Click to see Spoiler:

he's the one who thinks it is a good idea to share a bed with Esther--see below--and make the other guys jealous to weaken them

Women

Berglind--Icelandic almost white haired blonde--tall and thin

Click to see Spoiler:

I don't see how you could miss her, but she's the one who decides to take a short cut right off the bat

Esther--long medium brown hair, Aussie, a model

Click to see Spoiler:

throws away on of the trail marker flags to confuse others, throws a really obnoxious scene about whether or not she will sleep on the floor, goes to sleep with the guys

Carolina--long dark hair--bartenderóCanít read her hometown--

Click to see Spoiler:

objected to flag removal by Esther and Esther's behavior in general

Natalie--young blonde, wears a long skirt and long earrings--vet's assistant--CA

Re: Siberia--pseudo reality show

Okay, I loved this. I loved how it tricks you into thinking it's a reality show and then near the end, wham! The creepy noises, the cameraman, Tommy's death. Really, really effective, especially when compared with Under The Dome, which I didn't enjoy. Even more fun was noticing a few red herring as to why it's not actually a reality show. Such as this mysterious Sabina woman, who's not had any confessionals, has barely spoken a word, managed to get to the settlement before anyone else with no explanation. But I most noticed with Colombian contestant, Carolina, who's not actually Colombian. She's Puerto Rican, namely Joyce Marie Giraud, a model and pageant lady, she represented Puerto Rico in Miss Universe 1998 and was second runner-up, and has also acted in some stuff, so I recognized her intsantly.

Now it's a waiting game. What is killing them? Was it something supernatural, the cause for the disappearance of the settlement's original inhabitants? Or is it a killer using the whole thing as a ruse, or just some crazy psycho in the woods? Considering Tommy's reaction, it may be something else. So far we know that only Berglind and Harpreet will survive, being the ones who got eliminated first. Question is, who'll survive with them? There are some I already like and really hope they survive (namely Carolina, Irene, Daniel, Victoria, Neeko and Natalie), especially because I'm sick and tired of that old horror cliche of only one, two or three people surviving, and especially tired of that cliche made popular in the last 10 years of nobody surviving.